Shanghai Greenland Shenhua is looking at another former Chelsea player to revive its fortunes in the Chinese Super League as the mid-season transfer season draws near.

Greenland Shenhua has been heavily linked with striker Demba Ba with reports in the Turkish media claiming the Chinese Super League side had already made an 14-million euro offer to buy the Senegal international from Besiktas.

Asked to confirm if the former Chelsea hitman was one of its targets, Shenhua said a final decision had yet to be taken.

"We have not stopped looking at other possibilities also," Greenland Shenhua spokesperson Ma Yue said.

Ba has previously played for Hoffenheim, West Ham, Newcastle and Chelsea before joining Besiktas last year. If the deal is confirmed, the 30-year-old will become the third former Chelsea player to join Shenhua after Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba.

Shenhua reportedly is also targeting Nigerian international Emmanuel Emenike, with Nigerian media claiming that Shanghai had made a 10-million euro bid for the 28-year-old striker who plays for another Turkish club Fenerbahce.

The Shanghai club is 11th in the 16-team CSL standing with 15 points after 13 rounds. It has scored only two goals in the last six games — one of them from the penalty spot. Shenhua had set a target to finish sixth or above this season, and to achieve that, the club had said earlier it needed a "tough African striker."

Captain Giovanni Moreno from Columbia and Brazilian striker Paulo Henrique remain an integral part of the team and are virtually untouchable. The club has bought three new foreign players this season — Australian striker Tim Cahill, Zambian defender Stoppila Sunzu and Australian defender Avraam Papadopoulos. Despite great expectations from him, former Everton player Cahill could only manage one goal — a penalty — in 13 matches.

CSL is enjoying a two-week break for the 2018 World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Greenland Shenhua players will return to their Kangqiao training base except for Australian striker Tim Cahill and Zambian defender Stoppila Sunzu, who were called up by their national teams.

The club has meanwhile promoted seven young players to the first team for the rest of the CSL season.

Another Shanghai club SIPG is fourth with 23 points. The club has said it is in the market for another center forward but did not mention any specific players.

The transfer season officially opens from June 22.

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